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Divergent Development: Pakistan and Bangladesh

Bangladesh got its independence in 1971 as a result of Pakistans defeat against India in war before 1971 Bangladesh was part of Pakistan and was known as east-Pakistan and the Pakistan of today was known as west-Pakistan, though both were 1000 miles apart, but were part of a unified Pakistan with economic and political power concentrated in west-Pakistan and this was also a major factor which gave impetus to independence movement people in east-Pakistan accused the government of draining revenue from east-Pakistan for development in west-Pakistan. After independence Bangladesh showed no signs of development, some scholars started saying that if development could happen in Bangladesh it could happen anywhere in the world. But now Bangladesh proved those scholars wrong to some extent but it does not mean that Bangladesh has dramatically break all records of development or outperformed Pakistan but it has made relatively better progress than Pakistan on social development and even in recent years in economic growth. Comparing growth in Pakistan and Bangladesh Pakistan have an edge over Bangladesh, as per 2005 data PPP-adjusted income in Pakistan was slightly higher in Pakistan than Bangladesh but recent trends signs that Bangladesh will surpass Pakistan, the reason behind this is that while the growth rate in Pakistan has declined decade by decade and in Bangladesh due to its dramatic rise in farm yield its economic growth rate now tops 4% , although the income of Bangladeshi people is lower than the Pakistani people, but Bangladesh has fewer people in poverty as compared to Pakistan, according to World Bank 31% of Pakistani population live on $1 per day as compared to 29% in Bangladesh. In both the countries the adult literacy rate is as low as 41% but it has been growing in Bangladesh more quickly than Pakistan, another indicator of development is health, life expectancy is 63 in Bangladesh an 64 in Pakistan not much difference but it has been rising more quickly in Bangladesh, according to world bank data, since 1990 the prevalence of Child malnutrition in Bangladesh has fallen from two-thirds to less than half. Under-5 mortality has fallen from 144 to 89 per 1000 in Bangladesh but in Pakistan it is still as high as 126 per 1000. In 2006 human development index Pakistan ranked number 134 with Bangladesh 137, but Bangladesh was 7 places higher than predicted by its lower income and Pakistan 6 place lower than predicted by its income, this reflects the better health and education performance for Bangladesh for its income level. What are the causes behind the poor performance of Pakistan in social development even if compare with Bangladesh, Todaro and Smith have put forward an argument of geography, but if we take into account the geographical constraints Bangladesh is in clear disadvantage, Pakistan also face some geographical constraints but still have edge over Bangladesh, the main reasons which I think are responsible for Pakistans poor performance in social development lies in the fact that it is mostly ruled by the military rulers and even when its leaders were chosen with democratic way through elections the influence of army was overwhelming on government, another reason is it is engaged in an arms race with India which is more than twice in area than Pakistan and is 4 th largest economy of the world, since its inception Pakistan was highest aid-earner country of the world after India and Pakistan also after 9/11 Pakistan assumed greater importance as a strategic ally of America in its war against terror and receive high aid from U.S. but Pakistan failed to achieve much and much of money went into the pockets of Political elite and rest of it was spend on purchasing arms to compete India.

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